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WASHINGTON – As the nation marks the 50th anniversary of President Johnson’s noted speech declaring a ‘War on Poverty,’ tomorrow, Wednesday, January 8, 2014, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) will deliver an address on the Senate floor. Harkin’s speech will highlight the benefits of the many programs initiated under the Great Society and urge support for efforts that expand opportunity for all Americans at the beginning of the new legislative session.

Next month, the Senate is expected to consider Harkin’s legislation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 over three steps and provide for automatic, annual increases linked to changes in the cost of living. Since the minimum wage reached its peak in 1968 as part of the Great Society, it has lost one-third of its buying power.